“The continued dry and windy conditions have resulted in an increase of wildfires throughout the district and until we begin to get sufficient rainfall we anticipate this trend to continue,” said Scott Peterich, wildfire mitigation specialist in Palm Beach County.

As of this morning, more than 60 active wildfires were burning statewide, according to an interactive Florida Department of Agriculture map.

In Palm Beach County, which is down 7.2 inches of rain since the dry season began in November, the fire danger today is at a moderate level.

But the more precise Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) continues to remain high. The index ranks dryness of the soil and duff layers on a 0 to 800 scale with 0 being saturated and 800 being desert-like.